Home » Home » Biz Briefs » Biz Briefs: July 23–Aug. 5, 2015
Biz Briefs

Biz Briefs: July 23–Aug. 5, 2015

Business News and Announcements
Compiled by Camas Frank

chronic tacos0002 12The SLO Chamber welcomed new member, Chronic Tacos with a ribbon cutting ceremony last month. Their pitch line is that, “The menu at Chronic Tacos is the heart and soul of the Taco Life — a lifestyle which encourages individuality.” Orders are customizable, with choices from fresh, locally sourced ingredients made daily from scratch, all fused together using “third-generation recipes.” Chronic is located at 892 Marsh St. in SLO.


Morro Bay Veterinary Clinic is now open 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  They will be available every day for emergencies, routine medical care and surgeries, and drop-offs and pick-ups for pet boarding at their boarding facility.  These new hours will be especially valuable for those Central Coast pet owners who are not able or willing to drive to Atascadero or Arroyo Grande on weekends to current emergency hospitals, or for those owners that work full-time weekday hours For more information, visit the office at 385 Quintana Rd. in Morro Bay, or online at: www.morrobayvet.com.



Transitions-Mental Health Association has received a grant in the amount of $12,200 from the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust to implement a strategy of new conservation practices to save water, power, and money at their Growing Grounds Farm in San Luis Obispo. For over 30 years, Transitions has operated the Growing Grounds Farm of San Luis Obispo. The goal of the Farm is to, “provide a disenfranchised population with employment opportunities while maintaining a supportive environment.” “To conserve the Farm’s consumption of water and electricity we have designed a comprehensive retrofit of all our irrigation,” explained Craig Wilson, program manager of Growing Grounds Farm in San Luis Obispo. “The technology we have identified is a sprinkler head that gives more uniform coverage and improves plant quality and health while using 30% less water than sprinklers currently in use.” The grant from the Miossi Trust will create approximately 177 extra work shifts, said Wilson. Visit www.T-MHA.org for more information.


Stuck out there in the middle of the sun drenched Pacific, Hawaii is leading the way in solar energy adoption with a statewide plan to switch to 100% renewables over the next 20 years. With competition fierce  in the emerging market, SLO-based commercial solar provider, REC Solar has announced that they have been ranked the No.1 solar company in Hawaii based on 2014 revenue. REC Solar completed 14 commercial projects in 2014, accounting for nearly $55 million in revenue. REC is also contracted to build the largest solar PV installation in Hawaii, a 14.54 megawatt DC array for KIUC, which is enough clean energy to meet 5% of Kaua‘i’s annual energy needs.


ChacolateThe Cal Poly Food Science & Nutrition Department and Cal Poly Corporation are voluntarily recalling several varieties of Cal Poly Chocolates dark chocolate candy bars because of milk. An ingredient reformulation included milk in dark chocolate candy bars, but it wasn’t included in the ingredient list. The products were sold at retail outlets and farmers markets around California’s Central Coast, at on-campus locations, and online through the Cal Poly Bookstore. A limited edition Raspberry Crisp Bar was also sold at Cal Poly’s Open House event in April 2015, and a limited edition Original Bark candy was sold and distributed as gifts in June 2015. No illnesses have been reported. The voluntary recall is being initiated out of an abundance of caution. Customers who have purchased the affected product and have an allergy to milk should not consume it and can bring it back to the store at which they purchased it for a full refund, or contact the Cal Poly Food Science & Nutrition Department at 756-2660.


SLO’s Congressional Rep. Lois Capps is running up to the end of her term in Congress with bills that fit her career long agenda. In July she offered up an amendment to provide funding for onshore oil spill response preparation. The amendment was offered to the FY 2016 Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2822), but failed on a largely party-line vote. The Capps amendment would have increased funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Inland Oil Spill Program, which is responsible for preventing, preparing for, and responding to inland oil spills, by $5.4 million to match President Obama’s FY 2016 budget request. This increase would have been offset by an equal reduction applied to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) budget for new offshore oil and gas leasing. “We should not be expanding oil drilling unless we are properly prepared for the spills that will inevitably occur,” Capps said.


With the end of another school year, Meathead Movers, the moving company employing SLO’s student athletes, is seeking approximately 50 enthusiastic “Meatheads” and “Princess Packers.” “By providing our team with the opportunity to learn fundamental business skills, our hope is that the experience will translate into everything they do in life and in their future careers,” said Aaron Steed, president and CEO of Meathead Movers. “We’re not looking for career movers. Rather, we’ve created an environment that motivates our team to work hard for us, as well as for themselves, while having fun and making a real impact by assisting victims of domestic violence.” The hiring process consists of a detailed application, an in-person interview, passing of a criminal background check and a drug test. With more than 10,000 local moves a year, Meathead Movers is currently hiring in San Luis Obispo, Camarillo, Santa Ana and Fresno.


Midland Pacific and Janssen Foundation PhotoTwo local foundations recently provided grants to help Assistance League of San Luis Obispo County provide new clothing to K-12 grade low-income students. The Robert H. Janssen Foundation has made a significant contribution to Assistance League’s Operation School Bell program including this year’s $5,000 grant. First time donor, Midland Pacific Foundation stepped forward with a matching grant for $5,000. Together these two foundations will enable Assistance League members to help approximately 100 local students select new school outfits at a local retail store. Their goal is to clothe as many students as can be arranged in August and September so they will have sufficient clothing as they start back to school. More information is available at: www.alslocounty.org.


PSHH Union Bank Check PresentationFounders Community Bank has hired Robert McConaghy as an assistant vice president and commercial loan officer. Robert joins the company with 12 years of Commercial lending experience, most recently with Wells Fargo Bank and Heritage Oaks Bank. He was hired on at Heritage Oaks in 2012. He started his banking career in Arroyo Grande at Bank of America.
Union Bank recently presented Peoples’ Self-Help Housing with a $10,000 check in recognition of the award winning nonprofit’s 45th Anniversary in 2015. Founded in San Luis Obispo in 1970, Peoples’ Self-Help Housing has expanded to Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, with more than 1,100 self-help homes completed and nearly 1,600 rental units developed. “Peoples’ Self-Help Housing was founded with a mission to provide affordable housing and programs to those most vulnerable in our communities, the working poor, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities. It is community partners like Union Bank that have allowed us to fulfill this mission for 45 years and counting,” said PSHH CEO/President John Fowler. PSHH kicked off its 45th Anniversary year on April 23 with a luncheon at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. The festivities continue through Nov. 13 with the PSHH 45th Anniversary Gala Dinner & Auction, the Central Coast Taste of Hope, at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. For more, visit: www.pshhc.org.


The Sustainable Environments minor in Cal Poly’s College of Architecture & Environmental Design (CAED) received a Best Practice Award for Sustainability in Academics from the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC). CHESC is an annual conference that, “highlights cutting edge research and case studies with proven successes in curriculum development, operational programs and community partnerships.” More than 1,400 students from a cross-section of majors have graduated with the Sustainable Environments minor. In 2013 the program won a regional Green Award from the Central Coast Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. In 2011 Cal Poly Architecture Professor Jonathan Reich was awarded a Senior Fulbright Scholar grant to teach a version of the Sustainable Environments core courses at the University of Camerino in Ascoli Piceno, Italy. For more information on the faculty and examples of past projects, go online to: bit.ly/1Nqks4C.
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